Hello- a new tortoise owner here!
We have taken on a new tortoise as a stray who sadly his old owner did not want! He was being kept in a viv. We took him on in the summer and he was definitely living life in his outdoor enclosure but since moving inside to his tortoise table , he has been eating less and less.
He is still active. We are bathing him daily and have a mercury ballast uv lamp for basking. Temperatures under basking area are about 27 degrees and we are struggling to get it higher.
I am going to worm little Tomato (!) this week as I haven’t done that yet.. but any other thought?
Not seen to pass urates for about 2 weeks. I am getting worried although some people say that it is normal for this time of year!
Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
Hi Stepho and welcome to The Tortoise Table -- and well done for taking on little Tomato! Ha, ha great name -- just make sure you don't feed him any tomatoes!
It's not unusual for a tortoise to slow down and not want to eat this time of year, as they are going into hibernation mode -- and sometimes it's very difficult to get them to stay awake. It might be wise for you to not hibernate him this year, as you haven't had him that long, and you really need to know that he is in complete good health before hibernating him -- so maybe wait until next year. Here's a link to our article on overwintering a tortoise -- have a read and see if it is of help, and do come back with any questions:
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... aNmOmZ7m9s
Bathing daily is really good, as a tortoise can go a long time without food, but hydration is very important. Can you lower his lamp to get the temperature up to about 30C? You want to measure the temperature directly under the basking lamp at the height of his shell? If not then 27 isn't terrible. Also, a very bright light is very helpful, so if you could add another light just to make it brighter than might encourage him to eat.
Re worming. I wouldn't worm him unless you know that he has a heavy load of worms. A light load of worms does no harm to a tortoise, but a heavy load does need getting rid of. You can have a sample of poo tested by a vet or we also have a discount from a service where you can send in samples. But wormimg does temporarily upset their digestive system and it's really not a good idea to do it unless it's needed.
If you want to send us a photo of his set-up we are happy to have a look, as sometimes only a slight tweaking can bring about change in behaviour.
Nina
It's not unusual for a tortoise to slow down and not want to eat this time of year, as they are going into hibernation mode -- and sometimes it's very difficult to get them to stay awake. It might be wise for you to not hibernate him this year, as you haven't had him that long, and you really need to know that he is in complete good health before hibernating him -- so maybe wait until next year. Here's a link to our article on overwintering a tortoise -- have a read and see if it is of help, and do come back with any questions:
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... aNmOmZ7m9s
Bathing daily is really good, as a tortoise can go a long time without food, but hydration is very important. Can you lower his lamp to get the temperature up to about 30C? You want to measure the temperature directly under the basking lamp at the height of his shell? If not then 27 isn't terrible. Also, a very bright light is very helpful, so if you could add another light just to make it brighter than might encourage him to eat.
Re worming. I wouldn't worm him unless you know that he has a heavy load of worms. A light load of worms does no harm to a tortoise, but a heavy load does need getting rid of. You can have a sample of poo tested by a vet or we also have a discount from a service where you can send in samples. But wormimg does temporarily upset their digestive system and it's really not a good idea to do it unless it's needed.
If you want to send us a photo of his set-up we are happy to have a look, as sometimes only a slight tweaking can bring about change in behaviour.
Nina
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
Thanks Nina, that’s really helpful!
He is very active but seems to be eating so little at the moment. I’d be really interested if you could recommend any tweaks for his husbandry. I will try and upload some photos.
Thanks, steph
He is very active but seems to be eating so little at the moment. I’d be really interested if you could recommend any tweaks for his husbandry. I will try and upload some photos.
Thanks, steph
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
[attachment=2]F0BED22E-D716-48F6-AF4E-4B1FD293DB4C.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=0]7A60C2C0-96FC-45BC-8572-AB488C248BC1.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=2]F0BED22E-D716-48F6-AF4E-4B1FD293DB4C.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=0]7A60C2C0-96FC-45BC-8572-AB488C248BC1.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=0]7A60C2C0-96FC-45BC-8572-AB488C248BC1.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=0]7A60C2C0-96FC-45BC-8572-AB488C248BC1.jpeg[/attachment]
- Attachments
-
-
-
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
[attachment=0]1E3B4427-F2C1-4794-8E96-38A1E26CDCF7.jpeg[/attachment]
- Attachments
-
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
We have a 100w bulb. Managed to raise basking temp to 29 degrees at top of his shell by placing a stone underneath.. we couldn’t lower the lamp any more!
Hoping to get a larger table after Christmas!
Hoping to get a larger table after Christmas!
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
Hi Steph,
I think you've done a really good job with that table. There are lots of things for Tomato to walk over and around to keep him interested, which is very good. Are you getting a gradient in temperature away from the lamp (29C is OK under the lamp, but you also want an area that is about 20C, so that he can walk between the two temperature areas to thermoregulate), which is why we recommend that the basking spot is at one end of the table, rather than in the middle. I can't quite see from your photos, but is there a horizontal arm to the wooden post the light is fixed to (making it like an upside down 'L')? If so, then you could suspend the light from that arm with a chain and then raise or lower it to get the right temperature, rather than clipping it to the vertical post.
I don't think that is the problem though. Really it is just the time of year. You are lucky that he is still fairly active, as many tortoises aren't. Can you add another little source of light (maybe one of those bendy desk lamps that could be focused down into the table) This isn't to get the temperature up as much as increasing the light levels, as that can help a lot.
Are you keeping records of his weight (digital kitchen scales are usually fine)? I would start keeping records, taken every fortnight or so, under roughly the same conditions (for example, just after a poo, just after a bath, etc.), and see if he is actually losing weight? If he isn't losing then he is fine. You want to aim for slow growth, and a weight gain of an average of 1g - 3g per month (that's just an average and some months he will gain more and some less). And it is amazing how much weight they can lose just having a poo, so don't panic if in the short term he seems to be losing.
The only other thing I would suggest is to get rid of the straw (or whatever it is in the table) as if that gets wet it can go a bit mouldy. It looks like you have a soil or soil and sand mixture for the substrate, which is perfect, and make it as deep as you can so that he can completely bury himself if he wants to.
So really I don't have many suggestions, as what you've set up is basically very good for him!
Nina
P.S. It just occurred to me that rather than buying a whole new table after Christmas, you could maybe get another box of a similar size to the one you have now, cut a large 'doorway' into the end of both boxes and bolt the other one onto the existing one -- making an 'L'-shaped table that would fit around a corner of a room (just a thought). And to maximise space you could always build a ramp up to a second level -- I always have ramps in my tables and my tortoises love walking up and down the ramp, looking for food, in case I've left a treat for them on the upper level (I can post photos if you're interested, when the time comes).
I think you've done a really good job with that table. There are lots of things for Tomato to walk over and around to keep him interested, which is very good. Are you getting a gradient in temperature away from the lamp (29C is OK under the lamp, but you also want an area that is about 20C, so that he can walk between the two temperature areas to thermoregulate), which is why we recommend that the basking spot is at one end of the table, rather than in the middle. I can't quite see from your photos, but is there a horizontal arm to the wooden post the light is fixed to (making it like an upside down 'L')? If so, then you could suspend the light from that arm with a chain and then raise or lower it to get the right temperature, rather than clipping it to the vertical post.
I don't think that is the problem though. Really it is just the time of year. You are lucky that he is still fairly active, as many tortoises aren't. Can you add another little source of light (maybe one of those bendy desk lamps that could be focused down into the table) This isn't to get the temperature up as much as increasing the light levels, as that can help a lot.
Are you keeping records of his weight (digital kitchen scales are usually fine)? I would start keeping records, taken every fortnight or so, under roughly the same conditions (for example, just after a poo, just after a bath, etc.), and see if he is actually losing weight? If he isn't losing then he is fine. You want to aim for slow growth, and a weight gain of an average of 1g - 3g per month (that's just an average and some months he will gain more and some less). And it is amazing how much weight they can lose just having a poo, so don't panic if in the short term he seems to be losing.
The only other thing I would suggest is to get rid of the straw (or whatever it is in the table) as if that gets wet it can go a bit mouldy. It looks like you have a soil or soil and sand mixture for the substrate, which is perfect, and make it as deep as you can so that he can completely bury himself if he wants to.
So really I don't have many suggestions, as what you've set up is basically very good for him!
Nina
P.S. It just occurred to me that rather than buying a whole new table after Christmas, you could maybe get another box of a similar size to the one you have now, cut a large 'doorway' into the end of both boxes and bolt the other one onto the existing one -- making an 'L'-shaped table that would fit around a corner of a room (just a thought). And to maximise space you could always build a ramp up to a second level -- I always have ramps in my tables and my tortoises love walking up and down the ramp, looking for food, in case I've left a treat for them on the upper level (I can post photos if you're interested, when the time comes).
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
Thank you- really helpful ideas.
I would love to see how you have done the ramps to add in another level.
How much would you expect him to be eating on a daily basis through the winter?
I would love to see how you have done the ramps to add in another level.
How much would you expect him to be eating on a daily basis through the winter?
Re: Inappetance in 3 yr old Herman’s tortoise
It's really difficult to estimate how much he should eat -- the best way is to keep records of weight gain and aim for an average of 1g - 3g per month. There are some rough guidelines -- all he can eat in 20 minutes once a day, enough flowers, leaves etc. to make a little jacket or blanket to cover his shell (you can get really fanciful), but the best way is to monitor growth.
Have attached some pics of some of the ramps -- one in my old table (I think they will come out as the last two photos), which was a 4' x 2' rabbit/guinea pig cage) and a couple from my new table, which is 7' x 2'. It's really easy to make a ramp up, and if you cover it in something like roofing felt to give them traction, or little sticks glued to the ramp to give them traction, they take to it really quickly, as tortoises really like climbing. They don't actually need a big space on the second level, and the area underneath it can serve as a sleeping area.
Nina
Nina[attachment=0]m_DSC00892.jpg[/attachment][attachment=1]IMG_9953 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=2]IMG_1160 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=3]IMG_9496 [Desktop Resolution].JPG[/attachment][attachment=4]IMG_5147 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=5]IMG_6126 (Copy).JPG[/attachment]
Have attached some pics of some of the ramps -- one in my old table (I think they will come out as the last two photos), which was a 4' x 2' rabbit/guinea pig cage) and a couple from my new table, which is 7' x 2'. It's really easy to make a ramp up, and if you cover it in something like roofing felt to give them traction, or little sticks glued to the ramp to give them traction, they take to it really quickly, as tortoises really like climbing. They don't actually need a big space on the second level, and the area underneath it can serve as a sleeping area.
Nina
Nina[attachment=0]m_DSC00892.jpg[/attachment][attachment=1]IMG_9953 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=2]IMG_1160 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=3]IMG_9496 [Desktop Resolution].JPG[/attachment][attachment=4]IMG_5147 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=5]IMG_6126 (Copy).JPG[/attachment]
- Attachments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests